Philadelphia 76ers: 6 head coach candidates to keep an eye on

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Ime Udoka (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Sixers head coaching candidates: Ime Udoka

It makes sense to have Ime Udoke on this list. He’s a former NBA player, an eight-year assistant and is the only candidate currently with the team. As a player, he played both forward position and was pretty good defensively, despite being limited as an offensive player.

Before coming to the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason, Udoka spent the first seven years as an assistant working for the legendary Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. No doubt that was a great piece of experience for the former player.

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Now he’s been running the Sixers defense this season which ranks sixth in point allowed this season. Udoka has an impressive resume, but despite that, it seems like a long shot to have him take over as the 76ers next head coach.

Both the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks have expressed interest in hiring Philly’s assistant. The Bulls and Knicks are already in offseason mode so they are a step ahead of the Sixers in that regard and could end up making a decision on who to hire before the 76ers even end their season.

Udoka is a solid candidate, but unless both the Bulls and the Knicks pass on him, he probably won’t be available when Philly is at a place to make a decision about Brown’s future and who could potentially replace him.